By Tony Smith

10th December 2024

It was fitting that Jackson Watt jogged out to the middle of the Dynasty Ballpark diamond to
collect the Jefferies Cup after he had slugged the Canterbury Red Sox to another South Island
title.

The former Black Sox outfielder smashed a three-run home run after earlier collecting two RBIs
to lead the Red Sox to a 9-1 win over Otago in Sunday’s grand final.

Otago beat Canterbury in the 2021 final to end a 28-year title drought, but they had Ben Watts
on the mound then.

This time Ben - on the comeback trail from an arm injury - was in the coach’s box, guiding his
brothers, Cameron and Matthew, in the Whatukura starting lineup.

It was always going to be a tall order for Otago’s player-coach Mitchell Finnie to stem the Red
Sox tide from the pitching mound. Finnie is a talented fielder and top-order hitter with the
potential for higher honours, but his pitching is still developing.

Otago’s hopes of an upset were dashed when Canterbury scored three runs - to Black Sox rep
Callum Bishop, Leon Lumb and Watt, in the first inning, which produced four successive safe
hits.
Lumb - part of the NZ Major Sox under-23 team which swept their Australian counterparts 3-0 in
a test series in Canberra - clipped a Texas leaguer single to right field before Watt powered the
ball to right-centrefield to score Bishop and Lumb.

Lumb, who batted .666, hit a solo shot home run over left-centre field in the second inning.
Bailey Hamilton - back from his Black Sox debut in Canberra - scored on a fielder’s choice in the
third.

Watt put the ball into orbit over centre field to also score Dru de Latour and Bishop in the fourth
frame.

That was enough for Finnie, who had conceded eight safe hits and eight runs in four innings. He
handed over to pick-up player Jayden Britt, who started at second base. Britt’s father, Murray,
and brother Ryan were former Canterbury pitchers, but Jayden had never hurled a premier club
game for Papanui. Still, he gave up just one run - a scamper around the bases by Caleb Stewart
whose towering hit was dropped in right field.

Watt batted 1.000 with three hits from three at-bats and amassed five RBIs.

Otago’s only run came in the second inning after Caleb Leddie drew a walk, advanced on a
passed ball and another walk to Arana Kelly, and then scored when James Mathieson beat out
an infield single.

Matt Watts, with a first inning single up the middle, and Finnie (infield single) were Otago’s other
safe hitters.

They were held at bay by some snappy Canterbury infield work, particularly from Caleb Stewart,
who excelled in an unfamiliar role at third base. Stewart and second baseman Curtis Dove
combined to spark two deft double plays.

Canterbury pitcher Josh Kelly - another Black Sox debutant in Canberra - only took a couple of
strikeouts but pitched well to his field and only allowed one safe hit beyond the infield.
Kelly, who commutes from Nelson to play club ball with Rolleston, is likely to join Black Sox
pitcher Liam Potts and Ben Watts (if fitness allows) on the Canterbury pitching roster for the
National Fastpitch Championships in Hutt Valley in February. Finnie and Cam Watts could also
be wearing Canterbury colours then - as they commute to play for Christchurch clubs - unless
they opt to represent the Southern Pride.

The Red Sox - playing their first tournament with Paul de Latour as head coach - won all five
games.

They beat Otago 11-1 on Saturday in a game noteworthy for Finnie making an excellent play to
throw Callum Bishop out at first base after a hit to right field in a duel between the two
speedsters.

Otago had three wins and two losses during the weekend and deservedly finished second.
Marlborough,spearheaded by pitcher Will MacDonald, Braden Healy, Tyler Bird and Drew
Roberts, were third, with Southland - who pushed Canterbury hard in a 6-4 defeat on Saturday -
fourth, led by Kaemyn Smith.

South Canterbury were fifth, but they held Canterbury to a 5-0 scoreline and were edged out 4-3
by Otago. It was an encouraging effort by Adrian Whiu’s green-and-blacks, who do not have a
regular interclub men’s competition in Timaru.

Final Placings: 1-Canterbury, 2-Otago, 3-Marlborough, 4-Southland, 5-South Canterbury.
Top batter: Jackson Watt (Canterbury). Top pitcher: Josh Kelly (Canterbury).

Waitaha Toru
The Jubilee Cup women’s competition did not go ahead because no provinces outside
Canterbury entered.

Canterbury Softball assembled instead a three-team Waitaha Toru event featuring the
Canterbury Red Hawks senior team and the Canterbury under-19s and a Waitaha Manuhuri
team, assembled by Riccarton Maidens coach Richard Allison, and bolstered by some imports
playing for Christchurch clubs and some ex-Red Hawks representatives.

Manuhiri, with University of San Diego grad Ashley Daughtery on the pitching mound, won the
tournament, beating the Red Hawks in two of their three encounters.

Sunday’s decider was a cracker, producing a level of intensity rarely seen in the Canterbury
women’s premiership this season.

The Red Hawks, coached by new White Sox assistant Stephen Ratu, led 6-3 going into the
bottom of the seventh inning, but the Manuhiri top order staged a sustained batting rally to tie
the score after a hit by Lily Ashland and doubles by Dutch international Britt Vonk and American
import Emily O’Connor. Ex-Red Hawks infielder Arnora Hesp then drove in the winning run for a
7-6 victory.

Tristen Edwards, the University of Nebraska graduate who last year won the top batter title at
the NZ club nationals, took the same award at Waitaha Toru with an incredible 11 hits from 12
at-bats.

Brittany Terrey, who relieved fellow White Sox pitcher Amy Begg midway through Sunday’s
game, was adjudged top pitcher.

Mikayla Werahiko - surely the best White Sox player of the past decade - was typically
impressive at shortstop and in the batting top order.

Plans are apparently underway to have more games between the Red Haws and Manuhiri
before Canterbury leave for the National Fastpitch Championships in Hutt Valley in February.
That would be welcomed because Sunday’s clash served to whet fans’ appetites for a higher
level of softball than the standard Saturday fare. Any chance to watch Vonk, O’Connor and
Lindsay Thomas joust it out with Edwards and Werahiko should be taken by young Canterbury
wāhine looking to learn the finer points of the game.

The benefits of having the No 2 diamond fence at Dynasty Ballpark set at the women’s distance
was evident.

Edwards and Red Hawks teammate Manaia Makiri smashed automatic home runs while a
Canterbury under-19 player Maysen Kurene-Iwikau slammed a bases-loaded grand slam.

Final placings: 1-Waitaha Manuhiri, 2-Canterbury Red Hawks, 3-Canterbury under-19s.
Top batter: Tristen Edwards (Red Hawks). Top pitcher: Brittany Terrey (Red Hawks).

Article added: Thursday 12 December 2024